POLICE have introduced new measures in a bid to deal with an unprecedented increase in calls.

The North Yorkshire force has seen 999 calls jump from 4,911 in January to 8,551 in August. Non-emergency 101 calls have risen from 21,045 to 24,017 in the same period.

Changes include an operator service with ten new operators being recruited and due to start work in the next few weeks.

A new facility has also been introduced on the 101 line allowing a caller to request a call back during times of high demand rather than wait in a queue for their call to be answered.

A number of tasks have also been switched from the control room to another department, taking away 14,000 admin tasks a month allowing it to focus on call handling and customer service.

A number of longer term projects are also on the way- including the roll-out of operational mobile devices which will see a gradual reduction in requests for system checks - such as people, vehicle, and address checks - from front-line officers, easing demand on control room staff.

Deputy Chief Constable Lisa Winward said: “We acknowledge that our call handling speeds have dropped following a dramatic increase in calls to the control room. Earlier this summer, we began a series of changes to deal with the increase in demand and bring call handling times back up to our usual good standard.

“Some of these changes have now come to fruition and callers are already receiving a better service. We know there is still a long way to go, and I thank members of the public for their patience and understanding as we work to bring about these changes, some of which will take time to implement.”